I didn't expect to do any Black Friday shopping, as I have most of my Christmas shopping already done. But I did get order little pair of baby moccasins for Coco. Online shopping is so great. I just need to finish shopping for David (he is hard to buy for this year) and get a couple of friends gifts and I will be all set. I've found that I am much better off if the bulk of my Christmas prep happens in November. Early December has a way of sucking the energy out of me, and by the time I finish grading finals, there's not much time left.
Monday starts my last week of classes, and I want to get organized for this week so that I can kind of coast through the hard days and hopefully Zuzu's excitement will be contagious and I can look forward to Christmas. We are going to try introducing the Elf on the Shelf... I know people have strong opinions for or against the elf, but right now I'm a fan of any incentive that keeps Zuzu from sinking her teeth into her classmates.
In the meantime, we have one more day here in Branson. David's aunt and her kids (ages 11 and 7) arrived today, and it's been fun to see Zuzu interact with her cousin Taylyn, who is so sweet with both her and Coco. It was so hard for me to be around Taylyn after Eliza died. She was about the age Zuzu is now and I remember braiding her hair and then sobbing because I was afraid I'd never have a little girl of my own.
I got those braids. But I look at these sweet faces, and of course I wonder what it would be like to have one more little girl, between their ages, cheesing for the camera.
I think it has stressed his grandma out a little to have so many people at her house. She's always been so particular about things, and I'm sure it's driving her crazy to want things to be just so, but not to have the energy to execute it. I think we made the right decision to stay in a condo because it's hard for me to relax when I'm afraid the girls might get into something. Fortunately, it turns out that seven year old scan be pretty great babysitters.
We are doing 'kindness elves' in lieu of elf on the shelf this year. (Basically similar principle but instead of having an elf doing naughty things through your house and making messes they bring 'kindness tasks'. Baking cookies for someone and donating a toy are two things I have thought of so far but there is a website.)
ReplyDeleteI am more meh on Christmas this year. We have way too much stuff, I am trying to cut back. Plus we still have a ton in medical bills, bleh.
Oooh I hadn't considered that the elf would help with Zuzu at school. Good idea!
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me the levels to which people are either for/against the elf. I don't care either way. This is also known as too lazy to move his possibly demonic ass every night. Oops.
I wrote a post a year or two ago about my dislike for the Elf... but I do understand the possibilities for influencing positive behaviour. ;)
ReplyDeleteBlack Friday is a fairly new phenomenon here in Canada (we've always gone bargain hunting on Boxing Day, Dec. 26th). A lot of retailers started promoting it here about five years ago to try to keep shoppers (& dollars) from crossing the border in search of bargains. I actually went to a really big mall with my SIL this year and OMG, what a mob!! I did get some good bargains, though. ;)